New Study Shows Sweet E-Cigarettes Can Cause Cavities

Those sweet e-cigarettes you love may not be so sweet after all. A new study shows smoking e-cigs increases your risk of cavities.

How does smoking e-cigarettes cause cavities if you’re not eating them? A study recently reported by the ADA Foundation Volpe Research Center found that sweet-flavored e-cigarettes increase your risk of cavities due to what’s found inside of the liquids. Sometimes it’s more about what you are consuming rather than how you are consuming it. The liquid found in e-cigarettes can be just as potent as consuming cavity-causing foods and drinks.

The study was conducted by looking at the potential for tooth decay to occur when exposed to sweet e-cigarette smoke. The results showed that a combination of the liquid’s thickness and the chemicals found in some sweet e-cigs created an increased risk for the development of tooth decay.

In the study, sweet e-cigarettes were also found to contain some of the same properties found in high-sucrose candies that contain gelatin, like gummies, as well as acidic drinks such as soda—having a negative effect on the issue found inside of your mouth.

Thomas Hart, DDS, PhD, and senior director of the ADA Foundation Volpe Research Center had this to say about the study — “This study will give dentists further information to help educate patients that using e-cigarettes can have detrimental effects on their mouths.”

You can read the study “Cariogenic Potential of Sweet Flavors in Electronic-Cigarette Liquids,” published by PloS One here.

E-cigarettes used to be problematic only for your lungs. However, this study creates the argument that they may also be bad for your mouth. This provides evidence to the argument that smoking e-cigarettes aren’t as great of an alternative as some would like to say.

Concerned about the health of your gums? Give us a call at 972-771-8640 or contact us through our website.